long ball

noun

: home run

Examples of long ball in a Sentence

a pitcher who has given up a lot of long balls

Recent Examples on the Web

When Chelsea try to shift the ball back across to the right, Brighton press man-to-man and force Fofana to the touchline, leaving him with little option other than to play a long ball into the channel in the direction of Neto. — Jon MacKenzie, New York Times, 1 Sep. 2026

Sanchez added her record-breaker in the 78th, running down a long ball sent forward by Courage goalkeeper Kailen Sheridan and out-running three Angel City defenders before burying her shot. — Los Angeles Times, 27 Aug. 2026

Swanson received the long ball, dribbled toward the middle of the box before laying it off to Joseph for the opening goal in the 34th minute. — Phuoc Nguyen, Chicago Tribune, 24 Aug. 2026

Lisa Boattin’s long ball found Larisey, who headed the winner in the 93rd minute at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, North Carolina. — ABC News, 16 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1938, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for long ball

• aldol
• armhole
• atoll
• awol
• backhaul
• banal
• baseball
• befall
• cabal
• catchall
• cecal
• centrale